I'm New Here.
02-08-2007, 10:42 PM
#1
Registered User
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Winnipeg, Mb, Canada
Posts: 290
I'm New Here.
Contrary to my username, my car is a N/A. I was told to join this site by someone off of www.hybridz.org, so I figured I might as well.
I live in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. As you can tell, I am unable to organize my thoughts very well. I know; I'll tell a story.
Back in the summer of 2006, I was talking to my neighbor(who is like a semi-licensed mechanic/handyman sort of guy) when I offhandedly mentioned that I was looking for an older car to fix up. At the time, only being 15 years of age, I hardly had any money whatsoever.(I am still actually 15,but for some reason this story sounds better as though it was told 5 years in the past) He said that he had a 1979 Datsun 280zx. I knew about the Datsun 240z's because I had read about them in books and the internet. I said back to him, "280zx?" with emphasis on the "80" and the "X". I told him I would get back to him, and after some Google searches, I still couldn't determine the difference between the 240z,260z,280z and the 280zx. I talked to him yesterday, and he told me that he could drive me to his buddies place(where he was storing the car) On the car ride there, he told me about how fun a car it was to drive, but he didnt have the time to fix it up. So basically, at that time I was worried that it was going to be a "parts only" sort of car with half a fender left, and a rusted hood. When we got there, I was in awe to tell you the truth. I had never seen a car like it before. You see, where I come from, You rarely ever see any pre-Z32's around, because of the severe rust issues.
The first think I did was try to contain my excitement that I could potentially OWN this car if I so choose to buy it. I opened the hood, and the engine bay looked relatively nice and clean. There was some rust around the fenders, and a little bit around the quarters, and some bubbling around the hatch area. I then asked for the key, and opened the drivers side door. The Interior was MINT. it seriously looked as though it had never been used before. I looked on the Odometer and it read 160,000 kilometers. Thats less than 99,500 miles for all you imperial guys out there.
I then asked him if I could start it up, because I assumed that it ran. He then told me that the gas tank had a hole in it, and thats the reason he parked it. By then, the excitement was starting to wear off of my face, as I realized what I would have to do to get this car safetied. On the ride home, he was trying to tell me everything he knew about the car. He said all it needed was the gas tank to have the hole fixed to run. I'm not one to believe everything that people tell me, so I have to admit, I was a bit worried if I did buy it and get the gas tank fixed that I might realize that there were some other major engine problems with it.
When we were basically home, I popped the question.
Me: So Manuel, how much do you want for it.(I was expecting around 800 to tell you the truth)
Him: $300
Me: Are you joking?
Him: Ok fine, but not any lower than $200.
Me: t-t-t-two-h-hundred did you say?(by then I was almost pissing my pants with excitement)
Him: Yep
Me: I'll take it!
About three days later, I called a tow truck, and we brought it home. I literally spent about 6 hours just cleaning the body and the interior from all the dust that collected from 3 years of sitting. There was still one problem- I had no clue if it ran or not. After several days of it just sitting there, waiting to be ran, I decided to take out the gas tank. By then, I had a Haynes manual, so it was a breeze to take out. Later on in the night my neighbor came over with a jack, some bricks and a few pieces of 2x4s. Since it was almost winter, he suggested that I jack the car a few inches so that it wasn't sitting on it suspension the whole winter. He also told me he was going to start it for me. I explained to him that my gas tank was in my shed, and it wasn't fixed. He then told me he would be right back. He came back in about 5 minutes with a spray bottle filled with liquid of some sort.(The bottle wasn't see through) He told me to go sit in the drivers seat, and try starting the car. By this time, I had found an old car battery around the house, and had put it in the ZX. I told him it wouldn't start, because the battery was dead. I realized in my dads truck we had booster cables. We hooked the booster cables to the truck, and the battery in the 280zx. He told me to go inside the car and try to start it. I went and turned the key, and low and behold the engine was cranking, but it wouldnt turn over.(Just as I had suspected considering I had no gas tank) He told me to keep going, so I did. He then proceded to take off the PVC piping that comes right after the MAF and spray this liquid right into my intake. By then my heart was pounding, praying to the Z gods that my car would start.
IT DID!!! Was it ever loud too, I recalled him telling my that it had an after market exhaust system, but I didn't expect his idea of "Aftermarket" to be a hack sawed exhaust pipe right underneath my door. Thats right people, no muffler, no cats, no anything to even remotely muffle the sound of that I-6 .
Thats the moment when I became addicted to Z-cars. I had to explain to my friends at school that it sounded pretty damn to close to a V-8. One of my friends, who owned(and still does) a 1967 cutlass with a 327 didn't believe me. I guess he attributed all imports to the sound of a Honda Civic with a fart can. That night I told him to come over and hear the car. After doing the same thing my neighbor did, I got it started, and I tell you,after hearing the sweet sound of that straight-6 he has never said anything bad about any imports(except for the occasional riced out Civic)
Now that I'm done my story, I will tell you some of the specs that I know for a fact. I'm not one of those people who will "guess" what their car has in it.
-1979 Datsun 280zx
-5 speed
-Power everything(I think this means its a GL)
-White with black Racing stripes(Stripes have to go though)
-Red Interior
-N/A(as you most likely assumed because of the year)
-Rust around one fender, rear quarters, small hole in each door, Bubbling hatch rust.
-Straight and not rusty frame
-Solid floorboards
-Removed muffler and cats.
I am soon to be starting some major repairs on it.
As of February 1st I also own a 1983 parts car(TURBO, with no engine)
Thanks for listening, and I will post pictures up tomorrow.
I live in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. As you can tell, I am unable to organize my thoughts very well. I know; I'll tell a story.
Back in the summer of 2006, I was talking to my neighbor(who is like a semi-licensed mechanic/handyman sort of guy) when I offhandedly mentioned that I was looking for an older car to fix up. At the time, only being 15 years of age, I hardly had any money whatsoever.(I am still actually 15,but for some reason this story sounds better as though it was told 5 years in the past) He said that he had a 1979 Datsun 280zx. I knew about the Datsun 240z's because I had read about them in books and the internet. I said back to him, "280zx?" with emphasis on the "80" and the "X". I told him I would get back to him, and after some Google searches, I still couldn't determine the difference between the 240z,260z,280z and the 280zx. I talked to him yesterday, and he told me that he could drive me to his buddies place(where he was storing the car) On the car ride there, he told me about how fun a car it was to drive, but he didnt have the time to fix it up. So basically, at that time I was worried that it was going to be a "parts only" sort of car with half a fender left, and a rusted hood. When we got there, I was in awe to tell you the truth. I had never seen a car like it before. You see, where I come from, You rarely ever see any pre-Z32's around, because of the severe rust issues.
The first think I did was try to contain my excitement that I could potentially OWN this car if I so choose to buy it. I opened the hood, and the engine bay looked relatively nice and clean. There was some rust around the fenders, and a little bit around the quarters, and some bubbling around the hatch area. I then asked for the key, and opened the drivers side door. The Interior was MINT. it seriously looked as though it had never been used before. I looked on the Odometer and it read 160,000 kilometers. Thats less than 99,500 miles for all you imperial guys out there.
I then asked him if I could start it up, because I assumed that it ran. He then told me that the gas tank had a hole in it, and thats the reason he parked it. By then, the excitement was starting to wear off of my face, as I realized what I would have to do to get this car safetied. On the ride home, he was trying to tell me everything he knew about the car. He said all it needed was the gas tank to have the hole fixed to run. I'm not one to believe everything that people tell me, so I have to admit, I was a bit worried if I did buy it and get the gas tank fixed that I might realize that there were some other major engine problems with it.
When we were basically home, I popped the question.
Me: So Manuel, how much do you want for it.(I was expecting around 800 to tell you the truth)
Him: $300
Me: Are you joking?
Him: Ok fine, but not any lower than $200.
Me: t-t-t-two-h-hundred did you say?(by then I was almost pissing my pants with excitement)
Him: Yep
Me: I'll take it!
About three days later, I called a tow truck, and we brought it home. I literally spent about 6 hours just cleaning the body and the interior from all the dust that collected from 3 years of sitting. There was still one problem- I had no clue if it ran or not. After several days of it just sitting there, waiting to be ran, I decided to take out the gas tank. By then, I had a Haynes manual, so it was a breeze to take out. Later on in the night my neighbor came over with a jack, some bricks and a few pieces of 2x4s. Since it was almost winter, he suggested that I jack the car a few inches so that it wasn't sitting on it suspension the whole winter. He also told me he was going to start it for me. I explained to him that my gas tank was in my shed, and it wasn't fixed. He then told me he would be right back. He came back in about 5 minutes with a spray bottle filled with liquid of some sort.(The bottle wasn't see through) He told me to go sit in the drivers seat, and try starting the car. By this time, I had found an old car battery around the house, and had put it in the ZX. I told him it wouldn't start, because the battery was dead. I realized in my dads truck we had booster cables. We hooked the booster cables to the truck, and the battery in the 280zx. He told me to go inside the car and try to start it. I went and turned the key, and low and behold the engine was cranking, but it wouldnt turn over.(Just as I had suspected considering I had no gas tank) He told me to keep going, so I did. He then proceded to take off the PVC piping that comes right after the MAF and spray this liquid right into my intake. By then my heart was pounding, praying to the Z gods that my car would start.
IT DID!!! Was it ever loud too, I recalled him telling my that it had an after market exhaust system, but I didn't expect his idea of "Aftermarket" to be a hack sawed exhaust pipe right underneath my door. Thats right people, no muffler, no cats, no anything to even remotely muffle the sound of that I-6 .
Thats the moment when I became addicted to Z-cars. I had to explain to my friends at school that it sounded pretty damn to close to a V-8. One of my friends, who owned(and still does) a 1967 cutlass with a 327 didn't believe me. I guess he attributed all imports to the sound of a Honda Civic with a fart can. That night I told him to come over and hear the car. After doing the same thing my neighbor did, I got it started, and I tell you,after hearing the sweet sound of that straight-6 he has never said anything bad about any imports(except for the occasional riced out Civic)
Now that I'm done my story, I will tell you some of the specs that I know for a fact. I'm not one of those people who will "guess" what their car has in it.
-1979 Datsun 280zx
-5 speed
-Power everything(I think this means its a GL)
-White with black Racing stripes(Stripes have to go though)
-Red Interior
-N/A(as you most likely assumed because of the year)
-Rust around one fender, rear quarters, small hole in each door, Bubbling hatch rust.
-Straight and not rusty frame
-Solid floorboards
-Removed muffler and cats.
I am soon to be starting some major repairs on it.
As of February 1st I also own a 1983 parts car(TURBO, with no engine)
Thanks for listening, and I will post pictures up tomorrow.
02-08-2007, 10:56 PM
#4
Über User
Join Date: Sep 2005
Location: lemont, Illinois
Posts: 9,532
why did you get a turbo car with no engine? haha
welcome to Zdriver youngster.. your now the second 15 year old we have.. the other is a girl that doesnt seem to show up much her BF does though...
hmmm... first off... fix your gas tank... put everything off until you have a running vehicle you could drive.. thats when you address teh cosmetics of a car. once it will move jsut fine on its own... and there are big differences between a 240/260/280z (s30) and 280zx (s130) imo. and even though its a s130 you got a pretty damn sweet deal. i paid 1000 dollars for my car that had the engine and all parts sitting outside of it. lol.
welcome to Zdriver youngster.. your now the second 15 year old we have.. the other is a girl that doesnt seem to show up much her BF does though...
hmmm... first off... fix your gas tank... put everything off until you have a running vehicle you could drive.. thats when you address teh cosmetics of a car. once it will move jsut fine on its own... and there are big differences between a 240/260/280z (s30) and 280zx (s130) imo. and even though its a s130 you got a pretty damn sweet deal. i paid 1000 dollars for my car that had the engine and all parts sitting outside of it. lol.
02-08-2007, 11:35 PM
#5
Taste My Rainbow
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: LOST VEGAS
Posts: 2,418
nice to see another 79 owner. and do what snowy said get the tank cleaned and fixed. while its out get a compressor and blow out the fuel lines from the filter in the engine bay back (take off pump) to get any gunk that can be sitting in the lines. Yes ia gree get rid of the black lines. welcome and hope you have the guts to stay with these lovable z's.
02-08-2007, 11:37 PM
#6
Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Port Townsend (Home) and Bellingham (School), WA
Posts: 215
I'm the boyfriend. Sounds like you got a nice deal. Let me tell you, I'm happy to say that retelling your year being 15 does sound way better (close enough to) five years later. My girlfriend has a Z32, she doesn't know enough yet to make it efficent to ask her own questions about the car, but trust me snow, she will. It took her about 2 1/2 months to go from being "red car" to "2005 Interlargos Fire 350Z Track Edition" she learns quick. Wish I could say the same for myself 
Good luck with your Z kid
Good luck with your Z kid
02-09-2007, 07:42 AM
#8
Originally Posted by turboboost
I live in Winnipeg, Manitoba, Canada. As you can tell, I am unable to organize my thoughts very well. I know; I'll tell a story.
02-09-2007, 09:50 AM
#11
Registered User
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Port Townsend (Home) and Bellingham (School), WA
Posts: 215
point was; she learns quick, she can do it for a LOT of cars, and there isn't much that drives down the road she can't identify.
My business partner owns a 400WHP 350Z TT
My business partner owns a 400WHP 350Z TT
02-09-2007, 01:57 PM
#13
Registered User
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Winnipeg, Mb, Canada
Posts: 290
Originally Posted by NismoPick
Hey... so does another ZDriver Steven280ZX He's currently building a 400hp turbo motor. Get in touch w/ him... you could start the "Z Club of Winnipeg"
02-09-2007, 04:47 PM
#14
Originally Posted by turboboost
We already have a Z-car club of Winnipeg... I'm not sure if hes a member though. Ill PM him and see.
Anyway, cool!
02-09-2007, 07:08 PM
#15
Registered User
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Winnipeg, Mb, Canada
Posts: 290
Originally Posted by NismoPick
Really? He made it sould like his Z was the only one for hundreds of miles (when we were trying to tell him it'd be easier to swap in an L28ET, than building a turbo motor from an n/a). Maybe he lives in "no mans land."
Anyway, cool!
Anyway, cool!
Canadian Winters + Japanese cars = BODYWORK!
02-09-2007, 07:33 PM
#16
Big Poppa
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Mission, British Columbia
Posts: 4,499
hey another cdn, i see you at hybridz all the time, but cant post a hi for fear of banishment! and dont have time for a pm to say hi. lol so how deep is the snow out there!! we got t-shirt weather out here!!
02-09-2007, 08:46 PM
#17
Registered User
Thread Starter
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Winnipeg, Mb, Canada
Posts: 290
The snows not that bad, but we are having some super cold whether. Today it dipped below -50 degrees celsius with the wind chill. I'm just curious why you could get banned from HZ? Or did I read that wrong?
From Canada with love,
turboboost
From Canada with love,
turboboost
Last edited by turboboost; 02-09-2007 at 08:48 PM.
02-10-2007, 08:35 AM
#18
Big Poppa
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Mission, British Columbia
Posts: 4,499
im just joking aboot the ban thing, those guys are just uptight, cant do anything off topic in any thread in tech, or whatever. thats why i like it here, there are rules, but we get some hijacking and whoring fun! hybridz deleted some tech questions i carefully worded, with no warning, and i even used search first! dumb ****** ppl can be.
